Counting Stars
by fushie
Summary: Evermia Aera had always craved excitement so it came to no surprise that she chose the pirate life. However she got a whole lot more than she bargained for when she runs into a certain fire wielding pirate in Alabasta. What had started out as a time killer twists into something deadly as Aera discovers things about her past she was never meant to know. Ace x Oc


**This is my first story so I'm open to suggestions. This is an Ace x Oc fan fiction. I'm trying not to make my oc Mary sue but no promises and without any more delay hope you enjoy my fanfic ^-^**

**I do not own one piece.**

* * *

_Chapter .1 the seven walls of pain_

Normal Pov

The smell of sea, fish and fruit was strong and the air was alive with the sound of sellers and buyers around the market place. The sandy streets were filled with stalls full of food, fabrics, jewellery and perfume. People rushed around from place to place, seemingly unfazed by the blazing heat. Very few birds could be seen and plant life was even scarcer but to these people of the desert it was home and that's all that mattered.

For any visitors however the scenery would be viewed very differently. The swelter was enough to drive someone who is unprepared crazy and beneath the shifting sands creatures as large as houses lurked just out of sight waiting for someone to make the mistake of venturing out into the desert alone. The only relief to the sand and endless desert was a bay not far from the edge of town. The water seemed to evaporate by the second as the sun mercilessly glared down at the salty turquoise sea.

The only break in the rolling waves is a small ship bobbing merrily on the clear sea with a pirate flag blowing proudly in the hot breeze. Its occupants dash around laying anchor and preparing to leave the ship and enter the dusty oven like environment.

"Listen everyone I'm only going to say this once." Nami, a young woman with short orange hair places her hands on her hips and scans the ship to make sure she's got the attention of her Nakama.(AN: If you don't know what Nakama is I highly suggest you look it up) "I expect you all to be on your best behaviour at all times." She holds a stern tone and an equally stern gaze.

Sanji, a man with blond bangs covering one eye and curly eyebrows. He wears a suit with a blue undershirt and a cigarette in his mouth. "Okay, Nami-san!~" Hearts appear in his eyes as he spins around the ships navigator.

Behind him Zoro, a man with thee swords strapped to his waist and short lime green hair is leaning against a wall. He's voice is deep and uncaring. "The guy you have to worry about the most already took off."

* * *

On the dusty path between the town and the ocean Aera, a nineteen year old girl is treading along mumbling under her breath about nothing in particular. She wipes the sweat of her forehead with the back of her hand and scans the surrounding dunes.

Her navy blue mid back length hair is up in a bun and her electric light blue eyes are shaded slightly by her side fringe. She wears a long sleeve white shirt with a black sash around her middle, black tights that almost reach her ankles with knee high brown boots decorated by three buckles and a brown back pack is slung lazily over one shoulder.

Her eyes shine when she spots a town and she lets out a sigh of relief. "Finally…" I've been in wast lands of the desert longer than I would have liked but I'm finally here. Now all I need to do is find _them_. Limbs burning in protest she continues towards the bustling town with new found resolve.

In the distance the sound of someone yelling causes her to jump. Pausing, she looks over her shoulder at the oncoming missile. "FOOD!" Luffy, a boy with a straw hat sitting atop of black messy hair with a red vest and denim shorts was running towards her at an alarming pace.

"HEY HOLD IT!" Nami shouts from the ship but she is completely ignored by the boy. For a moment it looks as if he's going to crash strait into her. She quickly coverers her head with her arm and closed her eyes as he shoots past her in the opposite direction of the town sending up dust as he goes. "Who in the hell was that?" She looks up as he speeds in the direction of nowhere he's straw hat now fallen off his head, hangs by a string around his neck. "I swear everyone in this stupid desert is crazy."

She considers chasing after him to give that guy a piece of her mind but it would only wast even more of her time and energy. So she continues to head in the direction she had been in the first place, Towards the Town of Nanohana.

* * *

In the market place an old man is trying to sell a golden apple, disappointed as he fails to sell it to his most recent customer.

He scans the crowd for a possible customer and he spots a young man heading his way. He's wearing navy blue shorts with blue combat boots, he's lacking a shirt but it seems to have done this on purposely to show off the tattoos on his back and right arm. His Black messy hair is sheltered by an orange western hat and he has an orange band on his left arm.

"Oh! Anchan I haven't seen you around these parts. Is this your first time in Arabasta?" The old man greets in a friendly tone. "What do you think? Have a look." He says holding out the shining fruit. "It's a golden apple!" Seeing the traveller was going to head past him without a second glance the old man takes a step forward to whisper in his ear. "Wait a minute I have something to tell you in private. I found this incredible treasure when exploring some ancient ruins! If you take one bite of this mysterious golden apple, you can live for a thousand years!"

Smirking, the young man turns to look at the seller "Sorry, I have no interest in living for a thousand years." He's voice lowers a bit. "It's good enough if I can just live though today." He strides away not even slightly phased by what the elder man had told him. The old man curses under his breath. Yet another failed attempt at selling the apple.

"Hey old man is that true!" A stunned voice asks. He looks up to see Chopper, a rather large hairy man who was originally a reindeer but ate a human, human fruit and Usopp, a guy with a long nose and a desert scarf over his head standing there with sparkles in their eyes. "A golden apple!?" The Large man ogles. "Live for one thousand years!?" the long nosed man shouts in disbelief. "Really!? Really!? Really!?"

"Yes of course!" The old man smiles warmly. "Awesome!" They shout together drawing quite a bit of attention. "You two customers seem to have good eyes. Let's see..." He looks away as if thinking. "If you buy it now I'll drop the price to one thousand beli!"

"One thousand beli! Really! We'll take it! We'll take it!" *Bang* Nami comes up and hits Usopp and Chopper on the back of the head causing them to fall down. "Sheesh… Chopper, Usopp what are you thinking?" She complains. Zoro pulls back a curtain to show a man is painting apples yellow. "Don't take him seriously." The man behind the curtain looks up alarmed he drops the apple he's holding and it rolls onto the ground leaving a trail of paint.

Usopp struggles as he's dragged along by Nami. "Hey c'mon let go you jerk! We can live for a thousand years for just one thousand beli! Don't you get it?" Nami rolls her eyes at the stupidity of her friends. "That's enough of your dumb ideas. We have to find Luffy. We're done shopping, so we can leave for the next town as soon as we find him."

Zoro looks around at the surrounding crowd. "Speaking of Luffy, I wonder where the hell he ran off to." The Swords man grumbles. He stops and looks up in surprise. "That guy..." He narrows his eyes at a figure talking to one of the stall owners. Nami follows his glare. "Hey, isn't that the guy the old man talked to before Usopp and Chopper?"

He holds up a wanted poster with a picture of a boy with a grin challenging that of a Cheshire cat. "I'd like to ask you something. Have you seen this man before?" The stall owner gives him a questioning glance. "Monkey .D Luffy?"

"There's a chance he may be in this town. I've been looking around here for a little while now." explains the mystery man.

"I've never seen him… Oh yes, if you're looking for someone, maybe you should try the restaurant down the way. The master there is well connected around town." The stall owner points down the road to a restaurant. The name Spice bean is on a sign out the front of the building. The paint was sun worn and the wood had chips here and there but the faults in the wooden structure were just enough that it looked casual not dumpy. He bows slightly to the stall owner and slips the poster into his bag. "Thank you" He says politely before heading on his way. "A restaurant, huh? I was getting hungry anyway."

* * *

Aera's Pov

The heat is killing me. I feel like I'm in an oven in which the temperature is constantly going up. How the people around the markets stayed so active and actually managed to live in this god forsaken country is beyond me. I look around for any clues to the whereabouts of the person I was searching for but as expected it wasn't that easy although… I did see a rather suspicious sight of five people covered in an old blanket, a reindeer and is that a giant duck?

If I look closer I'm pretty sure their the pirates I saw just before I almost got ran over by that crazy straw hat guy. I would go ask what on earth their doing but right now I had to get someplace cool before I pass out. I had been walking in the desert for a week and I was due for a good meal anyway.

I stop at a colourful fabric stall and ask for directions to the nearest restaurant. The marketer kindly directs me to a place called Spice Bean. After thanking the lady at the stall I follow the directions she gave me. The streets all look the same and the crowds only seemed to get bigger as I walked but finally after what seems to be hours but really was probably only a few minutes I find a small restaurant. I sigh in relief as I step into the cooler atmosphere. Inside it's a bit crowded but I don't have the luxury to be picky so I take a seat at the bar and order some food.

While I wait I take a glance around not really expecting much. I stop my gaze when I notice a man with an orange hat, black messy hair and navy blue shorts. "Didn't this guy own a shirt? Sheesh…" I take note of the knife strapped to his belt. It wasn't uncommon for people to carry small weapons as such but having it so out in the open? Around him stacks of plates lay piled on top of one another. The amount of food his eaten was enough to feed at least eight people and yet he was still eating as the plates continued to stack higher. Although this guy seemed harmless enough something felt off like I've seen him before.

As my food arrives I turn away from the shirtless cowboy to my eagerly awaited food. I can't help but feel like I missed something important. As I eat I think about how I'm going to find the person I'm searching for. I could just go asking around but… I don't want to draw any unwanted attention and even then I'm not really one hundred per cent sure _who_ I'm looking for, I mean when I think about it, all I really know is that they are in this country, likely this town and that they might have some answers. Either way I'm really banging around in a bush here but it's the best lead I've got in a while so I couldn't just leave it.

I'm almost finished eating when I hear a bang of something hitting the table. I turn around ready for a fight, perhaps that sound was a gunshot or something? Out of all the things I was expecting, the shirtless guy face first in a plate of food was not one of them.

Even more people were starting to flood into the small restaurant as whispers filled the room curious as to what was going on I listened as people gossiped about the situation. "He appears to have died while conversing with the master of the restaurant." An old man furrows his brow in confusion as he looks on.

"Wait, He's dead? How? That doesn't make any sense. He was fine just a second ago." I can't believe he just dropped dead like that. "He's a traveller. He may have unwittingly eaten a desert strawberry." A woman covers her mouth in shock, both answering and creating questions at the same time. "A desert strawberry?" It sounds like a fruit to me but the way she said it makes me think otherwise.

"It's a poisonous breed of spider which resembles a strawberry. If you happen to eat one, you'll just suddenly die a few days later and then after a few hours, a contagious poison will spread from the corps." A man explains.

I take note to never eat any kind strawberry again. "That's why no one's getting near him." I conclude. I feel the urge to move away as I realise my seat is only a few feet away from his.

"In the desert what you don't know can kill you. Just look at the way it happened, as his arm was lifting the beef up to his mouth… He just froze like that. This shows how powerful the poison of the desert strawberry really is…" One of the many people says solemnly.

I almost fall out of my chair when the 'dead' man suddenly sits up. "HE CAME BACK TO LIFE!" screams just about everyone in the restaurant effectively defining me. He blinks for a moment before looking around dazed.

"A-are you alright?" Asks a woman who is suddenly standing next to him. I have to admire her courage; I sure as hell wasn't going near a guy who could have possibly eaten a highly contagious what's a ma call it. He blinks for a moment then mistakes her long skirt as a napkin in his confused state and the woman screams and runs off. So much for courage…

"Damn… I fell asleep." He mutters before continuing to eat his food. "YOU FELL ASLEEP" Shouts everyone in shock including me. "That's not possible! In the middle of a meal and conversation…" Some guy says in disbelief. I nod my head in agreement. "And he just started chewing again…"

"Anywoy, whad are you guyz so warked ub ovor." The not so dead man says, with a mouthful of food. "WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" Everyone shouts together apart from me.

"Do you hire comedians, or something?" The man asks the restaurant master pointing at the people over his shoulder who looked like they were about to bite his head off. "Well no… But if you're okay, I'm glad." He sweat drops at the bizarreness of the situation.

Then shirtless face reunites with the plate of food as he falls asleep once again. "OI! DON'T FALL BACK ASLEEP!" The whole restaurant shouts. They are answered by his deep snoring.

It begins to calm down and I feel I lot more comfortable when at least half the people in the restaurant leave, muttering about wasted time. I turn back to my food but the nagging feeling at the back of my head doesn't go away as it continues to tell me I missed the obvious. I tell it or if you would prefer 'subconscious' to shut up and go away, but of course it doesn't work.

I put the money for my food on the counter and I'm about to get up and leave when something shirtless says catches my attention. "This guy hasn't come to this town, has he? A pirate wearin' a straw hat…" He asks the restaurant master as he pulls out a wanted poster with a familiar face.

It's that kid I saw down at the bay… He has a bounty? The restaurant master doesn't get a chance to answer before he's cut off. "I guess you don't have a problem with eating in public."

I look up to see a marine captain with silver hair and two cigars in his mouth standing in the door way. I would have thought he was talking to me if it wasn't for the fact that he was looking at the man who had fallen asleep in his food.

"Commander of the white beard pirates, second division." Wait did he just say… "Portgus D. Ace." The marine captain finishes. The people in the restaurant begin to panic at this new information.

I zone out and repeat what the marine said over in my head before I turn back to the bar and let my head fall down on the wood cursing my stupidity and half blaming the intense heat. How could I have not seen the mark that covered almost his entire back? I mean it's not like me to get distracted. Although it was true the now revealed fire fist Ace was rather good looking, No stop, what am I thinking?

I look up and realize that it has gone quite all of a sudden. "Ah shit." The sound of my head hitting the table was louder than I thought. I see smokers eyes narrow as he recognizes me. "Well isn't it my lucky day, Fire fist Ace and Star Shifter Aera both in the same place. What business does two infamous pirates like you have in this country?"

Great now I have to look out for the marines while looking for this guy who supposedly has some answers. "I don't believe I have an obligation to answer that." I reply coldly while crossing my arms. This is the problem with marines they always expect you to tell them everything just because they asked.

It's silent for a moment as the whole restaurant waits for Fire fists reply. "I'm searching…" He pauses for a moment before placing down his cup and turning round on his chair, a wide smirk clear on his face. "…For my little brother." Damn him, being all dramatic.

"So then… What should I do?" Fire fist asks. It's obviously a rhetorical question although Smokey over here seems to have missed the memo. "Sit there and let me arrest you."

"Rejected. I'd rather not." He's still smirking. I resist the urge to once again hit my fore head against the table (an old habit when something frustrates or annoys me).

"As much as I would love to hang out in a prison a hundred miles underground, I'm busy at the moment." Sarcasm, I use it way too often.

"Well, that's what I expected." Smoker lights the two cigars that hang from his mouth. "Right now, I'm looking for a different pirate. I'm not really interested in your heads." I almost feel insulted but then again he's a marine, their priorities are always messed up along with their twisted sense of justice.

Ace puts his elbows on the bar and leans back. "Well then let us go."

"I can't do that…" He pulls back his arm as it turns to smoke. "As long as I'm a marine and you're pirates." And here comes the messed up justice. Hurray…

"What a dumb reason…" Fire fist voices my thoughts as he tips his hat down to shade his eyes. "Shall we have some fun then?" He looks up and raises an eyebrow. The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife and I feel as if am about to choke on thin air although I'm not sure if it's the tension or just the smoke the marine captain is practically drowning the room in. Smoker gets in fighting stance both his arms are now pure heavy smoke prepared to attack at any moment.

The next thing happens so fast if you blinked you would have missed it. "-UM ROCKET!" Caught off guard Smoker and Fire fist are sent flying through about seven walls. The smell of sawdust and gravel fills the air and I need to sneeze but my lungs are preoccupied choking thanks to the marine. As a result my eyes go all watery and I start coughing up a storm. As the dust clears I'm a bit more than surprised to see none other than straw hat. "Speak of the devil." My coughing has stopped but my eyes are still watery causing my vision to blur. I wipe at my eyes trying to get rid of the sting from the smoke.

"A restaurant! I finally found one! Now I can eat! I'm starving!" Straw hat yells standing right where Smoker used to be. Everyone in the restaurant is dumbstruck as the boy takes a seat at the bar. "Osan! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! I need it bad!" The straw hat calls while the poor restaurant master tries to figure out what the hell just happened. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!" He sings while clanging is fork a knife together and against the table.

The chef mumbles something inaudible under his breath and quickly serves the straw hat plates and plates of food as he stuffs it in his mouth at an inhuman speed. "This is such a great restaurant!" He comments as he stuffs his face. First Ace now Straw hat, why does everyone around here eat so much? Do they have a black hole for a stomach or something?

Beads of sweat were trickling down his face as he's eyes glanced back at the hole in the wall. "Y-yeah… Thanks, but you should probably get the hell away from here." The chef replies nervously.

"How come?" Questions straw hat completely oblivious to the pending danger he just sent flying though five stone walls and two wooden ones. This guy is either really brave or really dumb, possibly both.

"Do you know exactly _who_ you just sent flying?"

"Sent flying? Who did that?" Wow, this straw hat kids dense like, really dense.

"You did."

"I did that? To who?"

The chef points over his shoulder to the gaping hole in several walls. Now straw hat gets it I wonder if he'll run away or not.

"What's that hole there for? This restaurant is pretty weird. Is it your Hobby?" *Face palm*

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DID IT!" The restaurant staff shouts.

"Me? When?" This time I don't bother resisting as my head once again slams against the bench. The action since I'm not very far from where he sits causes straw hat to glance over at me with a questioning look but still continuing to stuff his face with whatever he can get his hands on.

He just stares at me for so long it begins to creep me out before a look of realization crosses his face. "You're that person from earlier!" He exclaims.

"It took you that long to figure it out!" I sigh. "Why do I even bother…? Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy. I'm going to be king of the pirates!" He's _still_ stuffing his face.

He wants to be king of the pirates? That's pretty ambitious. "Nice to meet you Luffy, I'm Aera, Evermia Aera." I take a sip of my drink and take a glance at the broken wall. How long are they going to stay down?

"Aera you look pretty strong, Join my crew!" It's more of a demand than a question.

I spit my drink all over the poor guy working as a waiter. Well that came out of nowhere. I mumble an apology to the waiter. I look back to Luffy questioning his I.Q. "Sorry Kid but I have to decline."

"Are you sure I have I really great crew! There's Zoro he's a swordsman who wants to be the best in the world. Then there's Usopp he's a liar and also our ships sniper. We've also got a navigator called Nami she loves money and hitting people. And Sanji is the cook he's the best in the world! He always follows girls around though it's so weird." I take a mental note to avoid this cook at all costs.

Luffy's about to continue the introduction of his crew when I look up to see that fire fist Ace was standing in the newly made hole in the wall looking royally pissed but what confuses me is that as soon as he spots Luffy his anger vanishers like it was never even there. "OI Lu-"Fire fist is cut off as smoker leaps over him smashing his head into the ground. Ouch! I am so glad I'm not him right now.

"STRAW HAT!" Smoker shouts coming to a stop in front of Luffy on the other side of the bar.

My attention however is on the pirate who is once again face first, in this case the pile of rubble that used to be a wall. Being thrown through several walls then coming back only to be smashed into the ground gotta' hurt. Kind of like the seven paths of pain, the seven walls of pain. I giggle a little at my own inside joke as the few people who were brave enough to hang around give me odd looks.

"STOP EATING!" Hearing Smoker shout I turn back Luffy. It appears that while smoker had been talking Luffy had continued to stuff his face ignoring the marine in front of him. Someone remind me to give him a pat on the back for that latter.

Luffy spits his food all over the marine captain. "You're that Smokey guy! What are you doing here!?" I throw my hand over my mouth to stop the fits of laughter. If only I had a camera right now!

"Punk…" Smoker glares at Luffy with spite.

Luffy puts his hand out in a motion to stop. "Wait a minute!" Defying logic he scoops all the remaining food into his mouth at once. He does a slight bow. "Thanks for the meal." Then he runs out of the restaurant at almost the same speed as he entered. Smoker runs after Luffy shouting furiously. "WAIT!"

Just after they leave, Ace jumps up and sprints after them also shouting for Luffy to wait. I could be wrong but I think hear the chicken dance song in the background as they run.

For a moment I'm not sure whether to follow them and join the chase just for the hell of it or ignore them and pretend the whole thing never happened. "Well… It's not like I have anything better to do, besides this could be fun." Chugging the rest of my drink I get up and race out of the restaurant after them.

* * *

Ace's Pov

Once again I had no luck finding Luffy but this time I had a lead. I had just asked a guy running some sort of charm stand if he had seen Luffy and he pointed me in the direction of a restaurant where I may be able to get some reliable info.

Grrfrfrffffffffrrr…

Plus I'm hungry.

Walking into the restaurant the first thing I notice is the amount of people crowded around the medium sized wooden tables scattered around the room. This place must be pretty popular the chances that Luffy's come by here are high. The second thing I notice is the smell of fresh fruits, meat and vegies wafting from the other side of the bar where the chef cooks food in the open for the entertainment of the guests.

I Take a seat at the bar and scan the menu. "Hey, Cook-san." The chef comes over to take my order "What can I get you?" He wipes his hands on his apron and tosses a few plates of food to a waiter.

I close the menu and put it down and order two of everything and some sake. The cook seems startled for a moment before nodding and heading off to make the order. Normally I would order more but I saw some marine's sneaking around earlier so I don't want to stay here for too long."

The food arrives and I start eating right away. As the tower of plates get higher I get a few stares but I really couldn't care less. I'm on my twelfth… eh, ninth plate? Oh screw it, who's counting.

I'm talking to the bar tender when I start to feel drowsy *YAWN* Oh crap… and with that I fell into slumber.

As I come to it's incredibly quiet and I can hear whispers all around me. That's what it normally sounds like when I wake up so nothing out of the usual there. I sit up and feel a little dizzy from getting up too fast. "HE CAME BACK TO LIFE!" Huh? What's with all the noise? I blink the sleep out of my eyes and glance around.

I lean to the side and wipe my face on a napkin. "Damn… I fell asleep." I continue to eat my food. "YOU FELL ASLEEP" Shouts everyone. Why is everyone so loud? "That's not possible! In the middle of a meal and conversation…" One of the men mutters. "And he just started chewing again…" A girl sitting at the bar finishes his sentence.

"Anyway, what are you guys so worked up over." I say with a mouthful of food. "WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

"Do you hire comedians, or something?" I point at the people over my shoulder. "Well no… But if you're okay, I'm glad." The restaurant master looks pretty nervous. Did something happen while I was out? I'm about to ask when my Narcolepsy pulls me under again.

I sit up groggily sheesh… that was the second time in the last thirty minutes. The crowd has dispersed and only a few people remain in the restaurant. I don't think I was out for very long this time because my foods still warm. Speaking of food, I'm hungry.

I'm finishing my meal of steak and noodles as the chef places my last order on the bar. This one must be the chicken salad or it could be the grilled fish with lettuce burgers? Eh, who cares? As long as it's edible it doesn't matter what it is. I toss my empty plate on top of the nearest stack and begin the new one. Well what do you know; it is chicken and salad after all.

A drop my fork onto the now empty plate with a clang. "Ah, I'm full! By the way, Oyasan." I lean down to get my bag from the foot of my stool. "What?" The chef stops at in front of me and waits for me to pull what I have been looking for from my bag. Here it is. "This guy hasn't come to town, has he?" I hold up Luffy's wanted poster. "A pirate wearn' a straw hat…"

The restaurant master opens his mouth to answer but is cut off before he can even get out one syllable. "I guess you don't have a problem with eating in public. Commander of the white beard pirates, second division. Portgas D. Ace." Ah, a marine Huh? I don't bother to turn around and instead take a swing of my drink. The restaurant master looks horrified "W-white beard! The White beard pirates!" Panic takes hold of the people around me but I pay no mind to them as I wait for the marine to attack me, what I didn't expect however was to hear a bang that did not sound like it was from a gunshot.

It goes so silent you could hear a pin drop and everyone freezes probably believing that it was in fact a gun. But as I thought it wasn't quite loud enough to be a gun. A girl around my age with long navy hair tied up in a bun was sitting at the bar a couple of seats away from me. Her face held an expression of annoyance and frustration and she didn't seem to notice that the noise had drawn any attention at all.

She looks familiar I'm sure I've seen her on a wanted poster somewhere… She seems to realize something and glances up at the crowd that was gathered in the small building. "Ah, Shit…" She mutters her electric blue eyes dancing around the room. Behind me the marine seems to recognize her and by the look on his face it's not hard to tell they aren't friendly. "Well isn't it my lucky day, Fire fist Ace and Star Shifter Aera both in the same place. What business does two infamous pirates like you have in this country?"

'Star Shifter Area huh?' She wasn't incredibly strong or famous or anything but I've heard some interesting rumours about her on quite a few islands. I can't be sure what's true and what's not but she's supposed to be especially difficult to find, but as much as I want to take this opportunity to find some answers right now I have to deal with this marine and find Luffy, maybe after that I can investigate a little more.

"I don't believe I have an obligation to answer that." Evermia reply's coldly while crossing her arms and glaring at practically anything within a twenty meter radius including me.

It's silent for a moment and I consider whether or not to tell. "I'm searching…" I pause for a moment, place down my sake and turn round on my chair; I couldn't help the wide smirk that spreads across my face. "…For my little brother." Star Shifter sends me an annoyed look that I pretend not to notice.

"So then… What should I do?" I was mocking the marine I now recognize as smoker. "Sit there and let me arrest you." I would have thought he was serious if it weren't for the fact that they don't let people as stupid as that be marine captains.

"Rejected. I'd rather not." We were stalling the inevitable, none of these answers really mattered in the end.

I glanced over at Star Shifter not sure if she was going to answer or not. "As much as I would love to hang out in a prison a hundred miles underground, I'm busy at the moment." I can't help but wonder what she could be doing in a place like Arabasta. She isn't here for Luffys head is she?

"Well, that's what I expected." Smoker lights the two cigars that hang from his mouth. "Right now, I'm looking for a different pirate. I'm not really interested in your heads." I put my elbows on the bar and lean back. "Well then let us go." It would be the logical thing to do but you never know with marines.

"I can't do that…" He pulls back his arm as it turns to smoke. "As long as I'm a marine and you're pirates." The typical marine line of thinking.

"What a dumb reason…" I tip my hat down. "Shall we have some fun then?" I look up and raise an eyebrow directly challenging the marine captain. Smoker gets in fighting stance both his arms are now smoke prepared to attack at any moment. I prepare to do the same a battle with smoke and fire this ort to be interesting.

One moment I'm sitting on chair preparing for a fight… "-UM ROCKET!" and the next I'm flying through about seven walls with a marine captain. When I come to a stop I'm under a pile of rubble. "Asshole…" I stand up brushing off the dust. "Who the hell was that? Jeez…" I get up and begin walking back to the restaurant through walls. "What's the big idea? Doing that to me…"

In one of the rooms I walk through there's a family in the middle of a meal. "My apologies, for disrupting your meal." I bow politely and keep walking.

"Who was the freaking idiot that did that? Jeez." As I come through the hole in the wall a bunch of people freak out and make a run for it. I look up to find the culprit. Wait that's! "Lu-, Oi Lu-"The next thing I know I'm face down on the floor coughing up rubble.

I look up from the ground just in time to see Luffy run out the door with Smoker in pursuit. "Wait Luffy! It's me! Hey wait! Oi! Luffy!"

* * *

**I know it's not perfect but I did my best TT-TT I'm not really sure how to go about writing Aces pov since I don't want him to be ooc so if you have suggestions on that it would be appreciated. **

**This is just the introduction the next chapters will hopefully be much better and not as slow moving. Also this is the Arabasta arc so it will for the most part follow the plot of the show but once this arc is over that will change.**

**Please leave a review even if you didn't like it so I can try to improve.**

**Thanks for reading ^-^**


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